Meredith Molokie
Cartilage Defects, Muscle Atrophy
“In 2016 I went in for part one of a two part surgical process for a hole that was found underneath my kneecap. In 2017, the second and final surgery was performed to fix my knee. I was told six months to a year for recovery. I had had what was called an ACI procedure.
After several long and painful months in rehab, I started to question everyone as to why I was not getting better or stronger. No one really knew and I was told to just keep pushing forward and pushing through the pain. By the time I was over a year out from surgery, I was still unable to walk, to bear weight on my leg while standing for any amount of time, and I was still not able to recover my muscles that were atrophying at an alarming rate. I also learned I was now dealing with a similar situation in my right knee and so this leg/knee was now becoming incredibly weak and unstable as well.
Jump forward to my third year recovering and I was still unable to walk, stand, go up and down stairs well or have my normal life back. I was getting so frustrated as I had been doing physical therapy for three years and getting nowhere fast. When I stumbled into Spring Loaded Technology, researching ways to try and help me, I honestly felt like their braces could be the answer I needed to help me gain back some mobility. I told my doctor about them and after some time, he finally reached out and got me the braces.
I remember the day I got them. My girlfriend’s daughter, who was in school for biomedical engineering, came over to help me get them set up. Once they were on me and feeling good, she told me stand up and walk. I was hesitant to because walking was such a mystery to me at this point in time. She encouraged me further and I just started walking down our hallway. I was in shock. I was walking with the help of the braces. I started crying because I finally felt like there was hope again to get me better. Since that day, I use these braces for everything. I use them for my everyday living. I use them for walking. I use them to help me get through my exercises to build up my strength and endurance in my legs. I use them on step machines and when I ride my recumbent bike. I use them out in public when having to be in large crowds. They are my saving grace.
I am now into my fourth year and this June I will have had my first brace for a year, and in August, I will have had my second brace for my other leg for a year as well. I still have a long way to go, but with these braces, I am able to have much more of my life back than when I try to do things without them. I can go out with friends, go on getaways and vacations. Before the braces, I almost always had to be in a wheelchair, but now I can walk around with everyone until my legs fatigue and then I will get back into the wheelchair. I also started weight training with these braces on this year and that too gives me hope that eventually there will come a day where my legs will be strong enough and stabilized enough to not need the braces anymore. But for now, my braces are my legs and they are my stabilizers and for that, I cannot express my gratitude enough to Spring Loaded Tech!!
They are a great company to work with and if I ever have a question or need any advice or help with the braces, they are right there for me. I LOVE this about this company! The support is terrific!”